One of the most extraordinary things about traveling abroad is experiencing the many traditions, habits, perspectives, and lives of others.
This same thing is true while immersing yourself in Costa Rican culture. As you open your mind to the adventures of the senses — taste new flavors, dance along to new music, take in the surrounding sights, and inhale the delicious aromas of a new place — you’ll find how we have much more in common with others than you might think.
While staying in the Ocotea Boutique Hotel, you’ll discover a set of experiences that might be the highlights of your trip to Costa Rica if you open up your mind to enjoy them.
I am listing here some of my favorite cultural experiences in Monteverde. You can take on your own, while others are guided tours worth taking and savoring with each passing minute. However, what unites each of them is that they are a fantastic way to step into the unique culture of Monteverde.
A simple walk through Monteverde
It may seem logical. When we travel, and as we get somewhere new, the first thing to do after checking into the hotel is to walk and see where we are. I think many of us do it naturally.
And even if you don’t, I highly advise you as you arrive in Ocotea Boutique Hotel, to get out of the Santa Elena town and walk to the small plaza in the Monteverde area and beyond.
It is a simple walk that will take you through a couple of neighborhoods, across bridges with beautiful creeks surrounded by forest and breathtaking views of the mountains and the far away ocean.
In terms of route, I recommend you take the sidewalk that goes toward Monteverde Reserve and open up to the experience of seeing the different neighborhoods in the Monteverde area. Plus, you’ll cross some beautiful rivers surrounded by forest and enjoy some time sitting on the benches that have been placed strategically to help you enjoy the different beautiful views en route.
There is something pretty special about walking in Monteverde. Locals will say hi to you. It is a very usual thing for people to say it when walking around the region, known or not.
This is a welcoming community of 6000 people that receives two hundred and fifty thousand people a year. And it shows even in that simple gesture of a greeting.
As you arrive in the small town of Monteverde from Santa Elena, you will find the Women's Cooperative of Casem, a small whole food supermarket, and a couple of cafeterias and sodas. If you walk further, you will find the Cheese Factory and the entrances to the Children’s Eternal Forest and Curi-Cancha.
You’ll pass the Rio Chante Cultural Center on the right-hand side, which provides events and classes in different disciplines and arts.
Rio Chante isn’t the only place where you can experience the art of Monteverde for yourself, though. All along the way, you will also notice on the sidewalk different artistic manifestations. Some are just a set of words to inspire thought throughout your walk, while others are beautiful murals.
But what lies behind each step of this walk is a community that lives life differently, and it is pretty impressive when you understand what is going on in this thriving community.
If you’d like to learn more, you can read about the Allure of Monteverde in our previous blog.
The footprints of Monteverde tour
Another insightful way to learn about this beautiful community is the “Monteverde Footprints Tour,” an excellent induction to the extraordinary Monteverde people.
This tour is led by a friendly local guide and aims to educate visitors about the area's economic, cultural, and conservation history and its breathtaking natural beauty.
The trip is organized in partnership with the Monteverde Community Fund and the local Chamber of Tourism, so the earnings are used to assist the community fund's social and economic objectives and educational activities.
A deep dive into Monteverde
As we explored in "The History of Monteverde," a group of Quaker families came to the region to live for different reasons. However, their move to the area succeeded thanks to the Cheese Factory they created.
The half-day "Monteverde Footprints Tour" begins with a visit to the Cheese Factory, which is still on the site of the original factory, and then it follows to the Monteverde Institute. This essential center pioneered higher education in the area and laid solid foundations for cultural and international exchanges.
From there, travelers continue to the famed Children's Eternal Rainforest, a project financed by donations from school children all over the globe and Costa Rica's largest private nature reserve.
Following this introduction to the region's history and spectacular natural heritage, the trip takes a more modern turn. It leads to Casem Co-op, a women's cooperative where regional artisans show their goods and abilities. The cooperative is especially significant since it created a vision and an open path for the independence of women in Monteverde's culture.
Ultimately, the journey concludes at the Coffee Center, where visitors learn about (and sample!) several varieties of coffee grown in the nearby hills. Monteverde's coffee is well-known in Costa Rica for its distinct tastes and techniques of preparation, and it’s an excellent treat to end this trip.
This Monteverde trip provides an informative introduction to its rich history and cultural legacy. Also, it provides excellent insight into the work done in environmental conservation and awareness-raising, and social and community development.
If you’d like to reserve this experience, you can always contact Ocotea Boutique Hotel here.
Explore a sustainable family farm
This is a hands-on, immersive visit to a family farm in the Monteverde mountains with a breathtaking panoramic view of the Nicoya Gulf. It is ten hectares in size, five of which are pastures, and five are for forest protection.
From there, you get to explore the Monteverde lifestyle through the daily life of a sustainable, small farm, helping participate in dairy products and the growth of organic agriculture, and also learn how farmers adapt to the soil and weather of the region.
You’ll also learn about the home-style method of making fresh artisan cheese, all of which culminates in a feast of cheese, tortillas, and a cup of excellent coffee or Agua Dulce.
If you would like to experience this fantastic tour, you can reserve it at the
Ocotea Boutique Hotel or right now, right here!
A Costa Rican cooking class
Another great way to experience Costa Rica is learning the Costa Rican way to cook! And in this experience, you’ll hit many of the staples of Costa Rican cuisine.
You’ll get the chance to learn everything from how to make corn tortillas from scratch and cook them correctly to the art of creating "empanadas," local secrets of brewing coffee, and a few fun tricks to enjoy Aguadulce, a traditional beverage for the morning and the afternoon, it is prevalent among the Costa Rican people and is considered being a part of their cultural heritage.
Cooking together with the family at home is a vital part of Costa Rican culture, and in this experience, you’ll get to join a local family and learn directly from them! A translator will be around to help if you don’t speak Spanish, though you will pick up some Spanish phrases throughout the culinary lesson.
In all, this is a tasty, terrific way to experience the local culture, and
you can contact Ocotea Boutique Hotel to reserve this tour here.
The milking tour at Terra Viva
This tour is another chance to experience the natural, sustainable way of life around Monteverde. Departing from town, you will venture to a local dairy farm where primary forest covers 60% of the acreage. It is notable compared to places where the primary forest was cut down for dairy. While there, you will learn about the ecological initiatives carried out on the farm. These aren’t for show either — in fact, it took lots of hard work to turn Terra Viva from a traditional dairy operation to a sustainable dairy farm awarded the Ecological Blue Flag certification.
Apart from just touring, this trip offers an interactive portion where you may milk the cows, help make artisanal cheese, and even feed the baby calves!
You can learn more and reserve this tour here.
The Quakers' silent meeting
Anyone who knows a bit about the Quakers also knows that their services are entirely silent. For people who are used to mindfulness meditation, this is heavenly! The service is simple — all you do is sit in the Community Hall in Los Amigos School, but the experience is so much more.
I can only describe it as an exciting and mystical experience when I have done it. You enter in harmony with all the people in silence in the hall, through a quiet sense of community. Again, hard to put in words but quite magical, and I highly recommend it. Enormous windows surround the hall. It is a beautiful place to live the Quakers' motto of quiet contemplation.
At the end of the meeting, someone from the community will usually ask if there are visitors and if you introduce yourself, people will come to you naturally to say hello. This community is welcoming beyond just the travel industry. And you can feel it right there alongside one of its most influential communities!
A taste of history with a coffee, sugar, and chocolate tours
In Monteverde, eco-agricultural experiences are pretty standard as the community arises from an agricultural environment into the thriving touristic area it is now.
You find that there are fantastic coffee, chocolate, and sugar cane tours that will take you through the plantations, the process, and the tasting of these three iconic products.
You will also learn about the history of these key plants in Costa Rica and their significance for both the country's culture and economy, along with their complete life cycle.
And if you’re lucky enough to visit between November and February (Harvesting season), you will even have the chance to pick some beans yourself!
For coffee, you can discover how the pulp was traditionally removed from the coffee cherries and how they are cleaned and sorted today. Visitors who take this sort of tour during the dry season will observe how the beans are organically dry in the sun.
You can also see how the coffee beans are stored in large fiber bags that enable the beans to air and, as a result, allow them to finish their maturing process. This is where coffee is selected, roasted, packaged, and distributed, leading to everyone’s favorite part — tasting!
For chocolate, you can visit a processing facility, where you take part in the manufacturing process and see the transformation of the little cacao beans into chocolate. At the end of this stage, you may enjoy sampling a variety of chocolates and learning about the ancient processes of roasting and grinding the beans used in the industry.
And finally, for sugar, you can explore a sugar mill to witness how to extract sugar from the cane. It’s a process that has been done for hundreds of years, and the team lets you try it for yourself! This sweet tour of three delicious flavors comes together with another pleasant treat: a glass of pure sugar cane juice, or artisan candy (brown sugar, traditional Costa Rican "perica" or "sobado", and caramel).
These tours are an excellent opportunity to interact with your fellow travelers and the families who run the tours and farms!
If you want to know more about this fantastic learning and discovery experience you can contact Ocotea Boutique Hotel here.
Watch the sunset
One of the many things that I have witnessed while living in Monteverde is how the people (locals and visitors) stop to see the sunset every day of the week.
And just taking one of many photos, you can see why! In Cerro Plano and other places around, you can find benches looking at the Pacific Ocean in the distance. These views are quite a sight at any time of the day, but they are breathtaking at sunset!
For me, what’s even more impressive is the sensation of community brought by human beings simply taking a moment to take in natural beauty in perfect peace.
You will see all ages, conditions, and people. Nothing is required other than a desire to be present and enjoy the sunset. 
Take a walk in new shoes
One of the most beautiful aspects of traveling to foreign countries is seeing other cultures, customs, habits, and viewpoints, no matter how different they are from ours.
They say that travel opens the mind and makes us more caring, and I genuinely believe that. Opening your mind to other people’s traditions can also improve our lives and our communities. And learning to accept and enjoy the way others live is the way to human peace.
We happily invite you to join these unique cultural experiences while you’re in Monteverde. You can contact Ocotea Boutique Hotel to reserve these tours here.
